


Starting Afresh

by marmolady



Category: Open Heart (Visual Novel)
Genre: Choices, F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-30
Updated: 2019-07-30
Packaged: 2020-07-25 23:53:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,491
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20034403
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/marmolady/pseuds/marmolady
Summary: Now living under the same roof, Martha needs to move forward with Aurora once and for all.





	Starting Afresh

“Aurora…”

The other woman turned as she reached for the door handle; a frown etched across her face. Dr. Martha Perry faltered. She’d never really known _how _to talk to Aurora Emery. Of course, she’d tried -feebly, she’d now admit- but not understanding the reasons behind the solid walls she slammed into with each attempt, frustration had turned to hostility. Looking back, she felt ashamed. It should have been obvious to her that the iciness was all a front, but the competition between the interns had clouded her judgement. There had been moments when they’d almost, _almost _clicked, but what little progress had been made mattered to Martha… she couldn’t blow it now.

“What? If this is about the other day in the supply closet…”

“It’s not,” said Martha, finally, realising that standing there gawping at Aurora like a fish gasping for air was not a good look. “I just wanted to… to talk. We’re housemates now, might as well make this a _real_new start. It’s not as if we started off on the right foot.”

Aurora’s scowl deepened, almost a reflex by now. It was never about helping _her_; she was simply a means for people to help themselves. But then… after triage, after the supply closet, and now being given a room away from the constant pressure of her aunt… perhaps she could almost believe that Martha was different.

“If you’ve got something to say, just…”

“I’ve been an ass- I’ve been a _total_ ass. When I knew I was being sabotaged, you were the conclusion I jumped to, based on nothing. I’ve just rolled over and ignored it when the other interns… my _friends_… have been shitting on you. Not knowing all that you were dealing with isn’t an excuse. I’m sorry.” Martha held out her hand, an olive branch.

For a moment, Aurora stiffened, her lips pursed. And then she took Martha’s hand. The fingers were soft and pleasantly warm, the feel causing a jolt of electricity to surge through her whole body.

“Thank you. I know I pushed you away before I gave you a chance to be anything more than just another obstacle to fight through, so… I’m sorry too.”

Martha exhaled. She hadn’t been aware she’d been holding her breath. “If this is us starting over, I might as well…” _Damn, why was this so hard? _“I, well, I wondered if you’d like to hang out sometime. Just… you and me.”

“Why?” Aurora’s eyes narrowed.

“I dunno, to get to know you better, I guess?”

“But why…”

“Because I like you, okay?” Martha blurted, her cheeks flushing. She recovered herself quickly. “For you. Not because of your name or who you’re related to. You’re a great doctor; I’ve worked with you enough to know you’ve got a brilliant mind and a focus that makes you unstoppable. Look, I get that the competition is fierce, and I’ve seen it bring out the worst in people I thought I could trust. But it doesn’t have to be like that! You shouldn’t have to carry your burdens alone. I’ve lost count of the times I’ve only managed to keep my head above water because of my friends. You could have that. I… I want to be someone you can turn to.”

To Aurora’s alarm, she found her eyes grow wet. She turned pointedly away, afraid to talk lest her voice crack with emotion. All this time, her defence mechanism had been to distance herself from the other interns, her rivals. She was tired of struggling through alone, even if there had never really been much choice in the matter… she wanted to believe in Martha. God, she looked into that face and it really _did _feel like she cared. But Aurora had heard what they said- they didn’t even bother to hush their voices. ‘Princess Nepotism’. A hand on her arm made her jump in alarm.

“…Hey. There’s no pressure. Just… think about it.”

The gentle squeeze on Aurora’s arm was undeniably comforting. To finally be reached out to, as if she were a friend, or–… she didn’t want to step away from that feeling. But step away she did.

“I have to go.” As Aurora reached the door, she hesitated, glancing back to Martha. “Thank you.”

* * *

Martha stumbled through the door to the apartment, drained. It was days like this when she questioned whether she had it in her. She’d diagnosed terminal illnesses so many times before, but a _child_… surely, she’d be haunted by the looks on the parents’ faces for the rest of her days. She slumped heavily into the couch, too swept up in her emotions to realise that she had company.

“You look wrecked.”

Too tired to startle, Martha looked around. Of course. It was Aurora’s day off, and she’d be around the place as she always was on her day off, going over her cases, poring over medical journals… ‘day off’ meant little when expectations still ran high.

She responded with a dry laugh. “I’d pretend to be offended, but I think the exertion would finish me off.”

Aurora approached tentatively and sat down beside Martha. She studied her face with a frown. It wasn’t like her to crack like this. “I didn’t think the pressure got to you. Didn’t you solve an unsolvable case the day before your hearing?”

“I think you know as well as I do; you hit the top of your game, and everyone forgets that you’ve got to come down sometime. I work in a hospital, remember; when I have a bad day, I have a _really _bad day.”

With an understanding smirk, Aurora nodded. “Look, if it’s anything I can help with -research or anything… I’m used to being over-worked by now.”

“It’s nothing like that. But… thanks.” Martha tried to offer a grateful smile, but her lip just trembled. And then, there was a hand on her own, gently squeezing.

Martha struggled to hide her surprise at the touch, but she needn’t have worried; Aurora’s face said quite clearly that the action had startled _herself. _For a lingering moment, their eyes met. Curiosity becoming soft, affectionate… yearning? Then Aurora removed her hand and broke the gaze, looking pointedly away.

_Had Aurora felt it too? _Martha didn’t think she’d dare let herself hope that the young Dr. Emery could view her in anything other than a platonic light. She’d made the blunder of falling too hard for a girl who’d turn out to be straight enough times to entertain the idea, at least, not _seriously. _Hell, to be on the brink of friendship -after the struggle to reach that point- was blessed on its own. The _last _thing she wanted was to freak Aurora out when she was finally comfortable enough to open up, to trust. But something in that look made her wonder…

Aurora cleared her throat. _Shit, had she noticed? _She knew enough to know that Martha was about as straight as a femur that had been broken in three places, but that didn’t mean she was _interested _in her, not in a _that _way_. _But she cared. Truly, and in Aurora’s experience, that didn’t come along often, at least not without an ulterior motive. When she turned back, Martha was still looking at her, cheeks flushed.

“I didn’t say it the other day, but I guess now’s as good a time as any. I like you too. Dr. Perry. Reluctantly- _extremely _reluctantly, but there it is. I know you’re fairly set for friends, but I want to be someone you can talk to. I really… like you.”

Wiping her eyes, Martha smiled for real. Man, those walls were tough to break down. Those little cracks forming, though, they were so satisfying to see. How had she been so blind as to wait so long before making the effort? She could have been a friend; she could have felt _this _so long ago. “Thanks. I’d like that. If you’re _sure_… I caught an awful lot of ‘but’s there….”

Without knowing how she got there, Aurora found her face an inch away from Martha’s. She could just lean over and…

Lurching forward, she pressed her lips to Martha’s in a brief kiss, one that she could barely feel in the midst of the violent hammering of her heart against her ribs. She could barely comprehend the fact that Martha was kissing her back, reaching out to cup her cheek. Aurora had already pulled away, on her feet before she could see the tenderness in the face that gazed up at her.

“…Aurora…”

Facing away, Aurora spoke brusquely. “You’ve had a long day; I’ll let you rest.” She didn’t look back, offering just a sharp “sorry” before retreating to her room, where she might pretend that she hadn’t just royally screwed up, letting down her wall way too far.

Martha leaned back into the couch, dumbstruck. _What, _she wondered, _what the hell just happened?_


End file.
